Let's admit it; we all want to be more, do more, and have more. When you ask people if they would like to be happier, healthier, or more prosperous financially, you are certain to get an affirmative response. This is because every living thing in nature is programmed with a desire to improve. We are most certainly a part of nature. Since the beginning of time, our deep instinct of wanting to be more, do more, and have more has been one of the...more
It has been said often enough in recent times that buy-to-let has two notable characteristics at present. One of these is that there is a determination on the part of most investors to make their investment a long-term one, eschewing the notion of making a quick profit and seeking instead to enjoy the long-term gains the industry can bring.Secondly, there is perhaps a shorter-term aspect where demand for letting and the increase in rents have...more
The news earlier this week from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) that the number of buy-to-let mortgages taken out last year was higher in the credit-crunch blighted second half than the roaring first six months may have surprised many. But it appears this has not been the only news indicating that the continued strength of buy-to-let is only too real.Commenting after the release of this news, Nick Clark, the managing director of the Homebuyer and Property Investor Show, said: "The results of the CML survey are a far cry from the doom and gloom forecast of the property and buy-to-let property market and consistent with our own findings." But there was more. The number of people coming to the show itself was a demonstration that things were looking healthy, he suggested: "It is clear that people have retained confidence in the market, we have seen demand for the Homebuyer and Property Investor Show to be as high as ever as people look to invest in the buy-to-let as well as the wider UK and overseas markets, with 11,000 visitors already pre-booked for the show, a figure in line with the previous few years." Mr Clark added that a third of those coming to the show were...more
Portugal has always been a popular destination for Britons wishing to purchase a holiday home abroad or to buy a place in the sun for their retirement. Pure investment purposes have also been behind such foreign property transactions, but according to one expert, it is the quality of life that is making Portuguese property investment such a...more
Buy-to-let investment in the UK is set to go from strength to strength in 2008, it has been suggested by one industry commentator.Malcolm Harrison from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla) has claimed that this year could be yet another healthy one in terms of returns for landlords. He highlighted two "important factors" that lead...more
Those who believe the Spanish market is past its best may be barking up the wrong tree. Not because there hasn't been a property market correction, not because there isn't a global credit crisis and not because many investors looking for new hotspots are looking away from the crowded, overdeveloped, been-there-done-that costas, but for another reason.For those prepared to look around, the reason soon becomes evident. While some of the markets in Spain have been saturated, there are new developments in infrastructure that have opened up and are continuing to open up new possibilities, bringing tourists into hitherto unknown areas and making existing ones more accessible.Much has been written in recent times about the impact increases in low cost airline services and new airports have had. But down on terra firma another trend may be helping to open Spain up more. Spain's railways are speeding ahead.A rapid rail link has recently opened between Madrid property Spain and Barcelona property Spain , which those purchasing buy-to-let property in either city may value as it enables tourists to whom it is let to see more on their trips through the capacity to reach the other city and see...more
If the talk of the property industry in the last year has been Cape Verde, the issue of how much property can be crammed onto those little volcanic islands in the sun may become an issue before too long.Or perhaps it won't. According to Simon Walker,...more
Those looking at property investment in France will soon be aware that there are many possibilities, as the country is large and offers different attractions to suit numerous tastes. With Alpine ski property, the winelands, the glamour of Paris, the...more
In times of economic gloom, it often seems to be the north which suffers most, with recessions seeing many people in grim northern towns kicking their heels as the factories shut. Stereotyped as this image may be, it contained a kernel of truth, for...more
The property market in Spain has been a vexed area for investors recently. The end of the boom years, the credit crunch and recent demolitions of homes that breached planning regulations are all major hits from which some markets might not...more
The last week has brought back a little ambiguity to the property market among those looking for hard evidence of trends. First there were the figures from property portal Hometrack, which found that this month's house prices were down by 0.2 per...more
For those looking for evidence that the worldwide credit crunch is not quite so worldwide as some might think, the best place to look, it appears, may be across the channel, which, as a major hotspot for Britons looking at buying investment property,...more